Horror
Perfectly Ripe. Top Story - September 2026. Content Warning.
Dust is dancing in the cracks of dawn light from the drawn curtains. Fine, cornflour dust. Airy and mischievous, and seeming to spread on every breath of air like spores. Spider dust that spins, and smears, and chokes, and stains. Endless dust, cruel as age. Dust mocking. Dust on every memory. Dust in my fingernail beds and in my eyes, dust in my throat. Dust down to my lungs.
By Lauren Everdell22 days ago in Fiction
The Bloom of Broadfen
The Bloom of Broadfen The frost of January did not merely descend upon the parish of Broadfen; it paralysed the landscape, blanching the thatch of the cottages and hardening the deep ruts of the sheep lanes into unyielding ridges. It had been a season of unbroken misery. A spiteful summer had ruined the wheat, leaving the ears bitter and sour. Now the grim hold of winter was stealing the last gristle of life from the village. The cold had cut slowly, like the paring iron Old Creech used to shave the leather when the parish had had cattle. It did not merely chill; it altered the framework of the flesh. It froze the breath in the throat until the lungs felt still as wicker and locked the joints of the labourers into rigid, unnatural angles that no fire could warm. When the frail, or elderly, succumbed in their beds, they bypassed the ease of sleep, hardening instantly into the likeness of grey stone.
By Alyson Smith 22 days ago in Fiction
The Carousel Opened in February
The carousel should have been asleep. Everyone in Bellweather knew that. From October until Easter, the amusement pier belonged to wind, salt, and gulls. The ticket booths were boarded shut. The arcade machines stood unplugged behind metal shutters. The roller coaster collected rain in its empty seats. Even the painted horses on the old carousel were wrapped in gray canvas, their bright mouths hidden from winter.
By Alain SUPPINI22 days ago in Fiction
Mad Woman
“My name is Lainey, but for most of my life people have called me Alice. Alice because I spent too much time dreaming, living in my imagination, much like Alice in Wonderland. They often told me, ‘It’s all in your head, Alice, dear,’ as if that would explain away how and why I saw the world differently. Whether what I saw was real or not made no difference; I saw them, and they talked to me no matter how much I ignored them.
By Leah Suzanne Dewey23 days ago in Fiction
Final Service: Samhain. Top Story - September 2026.
The All Hallows Supply Co. appeared between the payday-loan office and a vape shop on the first Thursday in June. It caught Rhea's eye because she had become the kind of person to scope out empty storefronts. For months, she had driven the same commercial strip to stare longingly at the unit she had finally signed the lease on a week prior. It wouldn't be long before the old abandoned sandwich shop had a new name and life. Cinnamon buns the size of a wrestler's fist would be displayed in the front window, and the smell of sourdough would enchant the small town. Lemon squares and salted caramel cakes would sit behind the glass, and become responsible for at least five pounds of carb-related weight gain for the people of Blackford.
By Autumn Stew23 days ago in Fiction
Can I please set of fireworks for Halloween
I love fireworks! Have you ever set fire to a fallen leaf? 🍂 Smells just like fireworks! Makes sense with this connection similarity for there to be a Halloween tradition of fireworks. The stores that stay around after fourth of July have Halloween fireworks. Got to experience these when I went to Disney World during Mickey Halloween for my honeymoon, but would be great to not have to pay Disney prices for a themed fireworks show in the fall.
By Seashell Harpspring 23 days ago in Fiction
Just a Taste Part 14. Content Warning.
Ch 14: Reward Dylan December 20th, 2024- Woodside Motel- 9:20 PM Isabella awoke, although barely, from her hypothermic slumber. Her eyes were glassy; partially unfocused like an exhausted child, or maybe a human-like doll. A startling appearance to behold, but at least she's alive.
By Rain Dayze23 days ago in Fiction
Geometry gone mad!?
I went to math class, which is Geometry. I walked into class and everything and one was for the most part normal. About 10 minutes into the lesson on lines everyone in class seemed to become a line or two and being perpendicular to each other showing their shared relationship.
By Mark Graham24 days ago in Fiction
